want to add 4-note horn to last generation

Has anybody added 4-note horns to a '95-'99 ? A few years ago I bought a low D horn for an Ultra and spliced it in to my '96 Riv. Wasn't too happy with it... the pitch was slightly off. And I couldn't find the right high C horn anywhere. Anybody tried this? Haven't had much luck finding the right horns either. I think the original horns are F and A, and the 4-note option (on the earlier Riviera models and Ultra) are a low D and high C, making that awesome chord that we all know and love. I did find the two optional horns for a Fleetwood but they didn't work on my Buick. They were several years older and didn't work even after splicing them into the modern wiring. Any thoughts?

treasureoak wrote:

Has anybody added 4-note horns to a '95-'99 ?    A few years ago I bought a low D horn for an Ultra and spliced it in to my '96 Riv.  Wasn't too happy with it... the pitch was slightly off.  And I couldn't find the right high C horn anywhere.    Anybody tried this?  Haven't had much luck finding the right horns either.  I think the original horns are F and A, and the 4-note option (on the earlier Riviera models and Ultra) are a low D and high C, making that awesome chord that we all know and love.  I did find the two optional horns for a Fleetwood but they didn't work on my Buick.  They were several years older and didn't work even after splicing them into the modern wiring.   Any thoughts?

If you spliced in an older horn you have to be careful about polarity. The old horns have metal cases, same as the ground or (-) terminal on the newer ones, although they will still often have both - and + terminals. The newer horns usually have plastic cases. The terminals are not usually marked +/-, you have to look at the case and figure it out.

If the fleetwood horns had been in the weather too long they probably did not work. At all. Did you test them?

Also, if you wire those horns in series they will not work, the load is too high. You have to write them in parallel, preferably one additional horn on each side (that is how I did mine, they work fine, although I used different notes)

Cleaned up the Fleetwood horns and wired them in but this time took more care about grounding them and they work!! I tried turning the screw on the horns thinking this would adjust the pitch slightly, not sure if that's really what that screw does, but it seemed to help. Trying to get that perfect d minor 7th. It sounds pretty good. Good enough that I re-did the remote so that it now chirps when locking it. I just love that 4 note chirp! Thanks albertj for helping me get motivated to dig out those old horns and try again!

I'm looking to add a 4 note GM set to my Riv, well actually add the D and C notes since F and A are already on the car.  I'm still trying to track down both notes (trying to find an earlier 90's Park Ave since the horns are easier to get, being in the tops of each fender).  I got to thinking, with the factory setup being F in one side and A in the other, would it matter which sides the D and C went on?  It could either be the lower two (D and F) on one side and the higher two (A and C) on the other side, or it could be mixed with D and A on one side and F and C on the other.  I would think the latter would be better because from the sides of the car, when you wont hear the opposite side as well, each side would have two horns with a 3 note difference between them as opposed to a 1 note difference in the other configuration. Or am I just way over thinking this?

Stydel311, I'm glad I'm not the only one obsessing over such things! As far as which side to put which horn, I'd say follow your obsessive instincts and enjoy it!! Either way you end up mounting them, I'm sure your new horn blast will make you smile every time. I recently added the two optional horns (low D, high C) to a 1981 Eldorado. Those were the older type that must be mounted to metal since they don't have a separate ground wire, and they came from an 80s Buick. Those are getting really hard to find in the DIY junkyards around here. Last time I went, there weren't that many 80s cars left. I do remember seeing a few cars that had 4 horns of the newer type you are looking for. They were Buick PAs, Cadillacs. Of course, there's always eBay.

stydel311 wrote:

I'm looking to add a 4 note GM set to my Riv, well actually add the D and C notes since F and A are already on the car.  I'm still trying to track down both notes (trying to find an earlier 90's Park Ave since the horns are easier to get, being in the tops of each fender).  I got to thinking, with the factory setup being F in one side and A in the other, would it matter which sides the D and C went on?  It could either be the lower two (D and F) on one side and the higher two (A and C) on the other side, or it could be mixed with D and A on one side and F and C on the other.  I would think the latter would be better because from the sides of the car, when you wont hear the opposite side as well, each side would have two horns with a 3 note difference between them as opposed to a 1 note difference in the other configuration.  Or am I just way over thinking this?

If phasing makes any difference it should sound snarlier if you do the latter (fourths) than the former (thirds) but the car's acoustics will affect that & IDK what the impact would be.

Albertj

Does the front bumper cover need to come off to add the new horns near the originals?

stydel311 wrote:

Does the front bumper cover need to come off to add the new horns near the originals?

When I installed mine I just removed the plastic inner fender.